Iran’s foreign minister said on Thursday that Armenia has assured Tehran it will uphold all of Iran’s red lines regarding the Zangezur region and that no US forces will be stationed along the Iranian-Armenian border, amid concerns over the US-brokered deal in the South Caucasus.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told state media that Armenian leaders had engaged in direct consultations with Iranian officials in recent days to explain recent developments.
“Prime Minister [Nikol] Pashinyan spoke with our president, their foreign minister called me, and the deputy foreign minister of Armenia came to Tehran,” he said. “The Armenians insist on briefing us and have told us they will observe all of Iran’s red lines regarding Zangezur.”
Last week, US President Donald Trump brokered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which gives Washington leasing rights to develop the Zangezur transit route connecting Azerbaijan with its exclave, Nakhchivan. It will be renamed the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP).
Araghchi said the situation that has emerged is very different from earlier proposals. “It is natural that the full dimensions of the Zangezur issue are not yet completely clear,” he said. “But what the surface of the matter shows, and what the Armenians are telling us, is that what has happened is worlds apart from what was supposed to happen — a change in the geopolitical map of the region.”
He recalled that initial discussions had involved the seizure of Armenia’s Syunik province, followed by the creation of a corridor. “We expressed our serious concerns, and that project was shelved.”
According to Araghchi, the current plan involves “an American company registered in Armenia under Armenian law, operating under Armenian sovereignty, to build the road.”
He added, “I am not saying what is happening is without concern. Based on what Armenian officials have told us, this road will be established by an American company registered under Armenian law and under Armenian sovereignty. They tell us they have respected and paid attention to all of Iran’s red lines in this matter.”
Rejecting claims that the project would make Iran a neighbor of NATO, Araghchi said Tehran had conveyed its concerns about any foreign presence to both Azerbaijan and Armenia.
“A US engineering company is to carry out the work, but there will be no American forces stationed at the Iran-Armenia border,” he said.
"Security will be provided by Armenia itself, and even private American companies will not be allowed to provide security. These are the statements from Armenian officials — of course, we will maintain the necessary vigilance.”
Iran’s president will travel to Yerevan next week, Armenian media reported this week, citing the country’s economy ministry.
